The USMNT has a goalkeeper problem for the 2026 World Cup

over the decades, US men’s national team He was completely spoiled when it came to the goalkeeper position, as the program had produced a veritable conveyor belt of world-class keepers.

In the early to mid 1990s there was Tony Meola. It was created by Casey Keller and Brad Friedel between the late 90s and mid-2000s. After this, Tim Howard came in 2010. The latter three enjoyed long careers at various clubs in the top European leagues.

But as the USMNT heads into this summer’s World Cup, a situation that once inspired complete confidence now raises troubling questions. Current group of goalkeepers – including New York City FC matt freezeNew England Revolution matt turnerChicago Fire Chris Bradyfc cincinnati Roman Celentano and columbus crew patrick schulte – Don’t see this summer’s tournament being at the same level as its predecessors.

The fact that they are all playing of MLS This is perhaps the clearest indication that this group of goalkeepers is a step down from previous generations. Either they failed to attract the attention of the world’s top clubs abroad, or they tried, but could not establish themselves at Europe’s elite level.

While the USMNT has a longstanding reputation for producing physical athletes, much of what separates the merely good keepers from the elite can be found between the ears. Decision making, positioning and the ability to move on from inevitable errors are all part of strengthening a goalkeeper’s resiliency. Experience is the key to improving those aspects of a keeper’s game, and no one in the current pool has yet accrued the same experience as previous USMNT keepers.

To be fair, some of this has to do with youth: Brady, Celentano and Schulte are all 25 or younger. His best days are ahead – Brady in particular is viewed as having a high ceiling – but it won’t be reached in time for the World Cup.

Turner, meanwhile, started for the US at the World Cup four years ago, but at the age of 31, has returned to MLS on loan with New England from French side Olympique Lyon after not being able to secure regular playing time at several European clubs. The 27-year-old presumptive starter Freese is another player with room to grow, and he has been solid for the most part in his appearances for the USMNT. But he has not yet given the kind of performance that would surprise anyone.

Former US international goalkeeper Casey Keller – who was the starting goalkeeper for Tottenham and Borussia Mönchengladbach during his playing days – is less impressed.

“It’s a little surprising, to be honest, because it’s not like there’s any other level [of keepers] That you go, ‘These guys are absolutely fine,'” said Keller, who is also an analyst for ESPN. “… I guarantee you, nobody is looking at Matt Freese in Europe, saying, ‘Oh, that’s my guy.'”

Tim Hanley is a longtime goalkeeper coach in MLS, having worked with players such as Joe Cannon, Pat Onstad and Andre Blake and was most recently on the staff of the Houston Dynamo. He also trained Freeze when he crossed paths with Freeze philadelphia union. Hanley is equally skeptical.

“I don’t know if [goalkeeping] There’s a weakness, but it’s definitely not a strength,” Hanley said of the USMNT goalkeeper situation. “You’re not going to go into the World Cup in a position where you feel very good about it. I think they’ll start freeze and play freeze. “I don’t think they have much of a choice.”

Worryingly, there is evidence that the USMNT’s goalkeeping performance in the 2026 World Cup cycle – at least in terms of shots stopped – does not match the 2022 cycle, when the USMNT exited the World Cup in the Round of 16.

Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, taking into account only competitive fixtures, the USMNT’s goals prevented – a statistic that essentially measures whether a keeper is saving more goals than expected given the quality of shots faced – was 5.42 over a period of 32 games (or 0.17 goals prevented/game). In the current cycle, the number of goals prevented over a period of 28 games was 2.25 (good for 0.08 goals prevented/game). (Goals withheld data only goes back to 2018, meaning we can’t study earlier cycles.)

How was goaltending considered a weakness in the USMNT?

The most charitable argument for the USMNT’s plight is that, at least internationally, quality at a given venue is cyclical. There is debate as to why stellar talents emerge at certain positions and then become inactive for periods of time. also with argentinaUntil Lionel Messi Along came, there was an almost constant search for the next Diego Maradona. It appears the American goalie team is no different.

“I just think it’s a wave. I just think we had it pretty good, and now we don’t,” Hanley said. “Now those guys are lost. All the hopefuls and new emerging players are very young, and the guys that are are like MLS guys: they’re decent. But I think if someone like Freese or Celentano is playing overseas, [at a club like] Club Brugge“They’ll feel the pressure better.”

However, there is also an argument that the way US Soccer trains keepers has diminished its advantage in the position. Training placed more emphasis on keepers being good with their feet than other key aspects of the position, such as blocking shots.

Former US international goalkeeper Brad Friedel, previously the starting goalkeeper for Aston Villa and Tottenham, spent part of his post-playing career as an assistant with various US youth national teams, and he saw this emphasis up close. Friedel, who gave Turner his first start as a manager with New England in 2018, thinks that for about a decade, around 2007-17, the U.S. “lost what was important” about goaltenders.

“We focused more on playing from the back and positional understanding with the back four players,” he said. “With all due respect, if you’re not an athlete and you’re not brave, you can’t be a top-level goalkeeper. If you’re an athlete and you’re brave, you can be taught all the other skills. But you can’t teach someone to throw their body in front of the ball or foot it. That doesn’t happen.

“So I think we spent a lot of time focusing on what was important in goalkeeping, and we focused a lot on developing a better outfield player.”

While Friedel feels the pendulum has started to swing back in terms of the emphasis on training, it is too late to have an impact this World Cup cycle. Still, Keller feels the tactical change to include the goalkeeper in the buildup is continuing to have an impact.

“I think our young goalkeepers are no longer goalkeepers,” he said. “They’re a field player who spends a little more time using their hands than other field players. …You need that [your goalkeeper] Coming up with a savings to make a difference. “Having possession inside your own 18 doesn’t matter.”

Hanley doesn’t mind that in recent years, he has incorporated more passing into his sessions. If he’s gunning for a specific area to work on, he said he’ll sneak in a distribution drill, or maybe end up with one.

“Doing every exercise now [passing]. I don’t think it should be taken away,” he said. “I think it’s always going to be chatter. It’s always gonna be, ‘can you [keep] Ball out of goal?’ I think we’re still at the point where most goalscorers these days are better at saves and not so good at kicking. It’s not like everyone is turning into George Campos, that they can do these incredible things with their legs.”

Lack of club experience for USMNT goalkeepers

What is not in dispute is that the current contingent of American Guardians does not have the level of experience that their predecessors had.

Before the 1998 World Cup, Keller already had 281 first-team matches, 270 of which came in European leagues. Leading up to the 2002 World Cup, Friedel made 201 first-team appearances, 156 of which came in Europe. Howard topped them all. Entering the 2010 World Cup, his first as a USMNT starter, Howard had already made 360 ​​first-team appearances, 261 of which came in Europe. Freese, meanwhile, made 120 appearances, all in MLS. Turner, who it must be said is the only member of the current pool with World Cup experience, has made 142 first-team appearances, but only 31 of those have come in Europe over a three-year period.

The reality is that over the past decade American players have not been able to consistently step up and earn starting spots in the top European leagues, where they could gain the experience necessary to join the elite, be it jack stephen But Manchester City or on turner armory, nottingham forest And crystal Palace. ethan horvathNow with New York Red Bulls, he probably came closest, although the English Championship proved to be his breakthrough.

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Admittedly, injuries blunted Steffen’s career progress, which was aided by loan spells at Fortuna Düsseldorf and Middlesbrough. He finally returned to MLS colorado rapidsBut his case shows how players can be harassed if transfer decisions are not made properly. If a move is not working, it is better to shorten it and find a better playing position. That’s essentially what Turner, Horvath and Steffen have done — although returning to MLS feels like a step down.

“I would never tell anyone ‘don’t gamble on yourself’,” Keller said, but, he added: “Rather than Matt Turner not getting to Arsenal, I would have loved to see him play a season in the English Championship – 46 matches plus cup games, super grind, intense, powerful, physical. Instead, he tried to go to Tim [Howard] Root and just take a step down from the club you were in and stay there Premier LeagueAnd it didn’t work.”

That doesn’t mean there’s no value in playing in MLS. The level may not be as high as the Big Five top leagues in Europe, but it is still a first-team experience. That matters. As Friedel said: “People ask me the question all the time: Is it better to go to Europe or better to stay in MLS? And then my answer is, ‘If you’re going to play it’s better to go to Europe. If you’re going to go to Europe and sit on the bench, it’s better to stay and play in MLS.'”

Again, the hope for the USMNT goaltenders will be players like Freese, Turner, Brady, etc. There will be moves to foreign clubs in the next cycle after this summer’s World Cup – or in Turner’s case, back.

Where do things stand for the 2026 World Cup?

For now, it’s not like Freeze, Turner or Brady are suddenly going to gain massive amounts of experience ahead of the World Cup. Nor is there going to be any radical change in their capabilities. They are who they are.

Freeze remains the front-runner to start at the World Cup, given that he has been in goal in 14 of the USMNT’s last 15 games under Mauricio Pochettino. During all the discussions about the experience, they learned some valuable information in 2025 golden bowlWhich included winning the penalty shootout costa ricawith ticos legend Kelor Navas In the opposition goal.

But Turner is making a late effort to oust Freeze from office. Turner is second in MLS in goals prevented with 5.96, while Freese is at -0.19. Turner’s save percentage of 77.4% is significantly higher than Freeze’s 65.5%.

While it is true that a goalkeeper’s numbers can be a reflection of how well the defense is playing in front of him, it still indicates that Turner’s current form has been good.

“I think they’re all there – I think they’re all at that level where a goalie wouldn’t be the reason we lose a game,” Friedel said of the current keepers. “Tournaments like the World Cup make stars, so if Matt Freese starts, why can’t he become a hero for the United States?”

If he does that, he will be on his way to becoming the next great American goaltender. The USMNT can only hope.